The Last Prisoner Project (LPP) is a national, nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to cannabis criminal justice reform with the goal of releasing every last cannabis prisoner. We aim to end America’s policy of cannabis criminalization, as well as to repair the harms of this discriminatory and counterproductive crusade. We seek to redress the past and continuing harms of these unjust laws through legal intervention, direct constituent support, advocacy campaigns, and policy change. Visit www.lastprisonerproject.org or text FREEDOM to 24365 to learn more.
External link for Last Prisoner Project
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Denver, Colorado 80202, US
More than 1,800 people are still paying the price for cannabis laws that have since changed. It's time for Governor Youngkin to pass HB 2555! Thank you to Chief Patron @henson4virginia for leading on this legislation and the many advocacy organizations like @thcjusticenow and @Justicefwdva for pushing for justice reform in VA! Read more: https://lnkd.in/gn3ccb-i
President Donald Trump has named his pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and it's Terrance Cole, an agency veteran with a long history of opposing cannabis justice reform. Last year, Cole posted on LinkedIn after a visit to the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority writing, “Everybody knows my stance on marijuana after 30 plus years in law enforcement , so don’t even ask ! #justsayno #disorders #notlegal4distribution #healthissues #thinblueline #backtheblue” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gh3_nw4m
As part of his Executive Budget proposal, Gov. DeWine of Ohio has proposed a new cannabis expungement program for those with cannabis possession records. We are grateful to see that Gov. DeWine is planning to offer second chances to the tens of thousands who still bear the lifelong burden of having a cannabis-related conviction. Since medical legalization alone, Ohio has arrested over 60,000 individuals for cannabis, people like Last Prisoner Project constituent Harold Thomas who served 8 years and watched from behind bars while the state legalized. Read more on this story: https://lnkd.in/djkxCpCq
Alice Johnson served 20+ years of a life sentence for a nonviolent drug-related offense. In this new position as Pardon Czar, Alice will be able to bring justice to more people around the country in similar positions. LPP will continue to uplift the stories of our many constituents who deserve second chances to be considered for cannabis clemency.
In honor of #BlackHistoryMonth, Last Prisoner Project's Director of Advocacy Stephanie Shepard examines the evolving landscape of cannabis and its impact on the Black community. https://lnkd.in/e6xgRrk8
A week after Marc Fogel, another American arrested in Russia has been released. Kalob Byers was detained on Feb. 7 at Moscow's Vnukovo airport after customs officials allegedly found cannabis-laced gummies in his baggage. The gummies, according to a social media post written by his mother, were to treat his epilepsy. While the charges have been dropped, he could have faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted. We are relieved to hear of Kalob's release and hope that the Trump administration will soon prioritize cannabis justice at home as well as abroad. After all, President Trump has the power to release all those currently incarcerated for federal cannabis offenses in the U.S., should he choose to do so. Read more on this story via CBS News: https://lnkd.in/eE4w9_7S
Could Pennsylvania be the next state to legalize cannabis? 👇 Gov. Josh Shapiro has called for legalizing recreational cannabis as part of his 2025 budget. If approved, the plan would include a portion of revenue (approximately $10 million) to support restorative justice initiatives and the automatic expungement of past cannabis convictions. “I ask you to come together and send to my desk a bill that legalizes adult-use cannabis and expunges the records of people who have been convicted for nonviolent possession of small amounts of [cannabis].” — Gov. Shapiro Read more: https://lnkd.in/e8HXc2Fi
Last week, the Trump administration celebrated the release of Marc Fogel, an American who was serving a 14-year sentence for cannabis possession in Russia, without acknowledging cannabis justice at home. There are tens of thousands of people incarcerated for similar offenses in the U.S. This includes Kevin Allen, a constituent of Speaker Johnson's serving 35 years in Louisiana. Johnson has historically been opposed to cannabis reform, yet celebrated the homecoming of Fogel at the White House. As LPP’s Jason Ortiz explains, “While we are glad to see policymakers like Speaker Johnson celebrating Marc’s homecoming, their prohibitionist hypocrisy to keep Americans in the U.S. locked behind bars for cannabis does not go unnoticed.” No one should be incarcerated for cannabis, at home or abroad. We must continue to fight for justice and freedom for ALL. Read more on this story: https://lnkd.in/eDkJ9NAQ
In a recent interview with Fox News Media, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argues that "we don't want" people incarcerated for cannabis while appearing to support efforts to expand research.
UPDATE: Another appeals court has ruled in favor of gun rights for cannabis users 👇 Last year, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of a Texas woman (described as a non-violent, [cannabis] smoking gun owner") that federal charges filed against the woman for owning a firearm as a cannabis user are unconstitutional. Now, a three-year prison sentence was dismissed against a person convicted for possession of a firearm while being an active cannabis user. Read more on these rulings (and their significance): https://lnkd.in/eQpYciCY